Lesbian, Gay , Bisexual and Transgender Equalities Training.

Conference will be aware that many personal care services formerly provided by local authorities to the elderly are now contracted out to private providers. We have serious concerns regarding the level of training given to those staff in the private sector. We are equally concerned that with the increasing workloads and subsequent sickness levels experienced by local authority in-house provider services that private agency staff are frequently called upon to plug the gaps. These agency staff do not always have the same standards of required training that in-house staff are expected to attain. We are especially concerned those increasingly older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) clients are not receiving the best care or that their particular needs are being met.

Conference therefore instructs the National LGBT Committee to:

Liaise with the National Executive Council, the Health Service Group Executive, and the National Training Department, to ask them to consider devising a fact sheet to support stewards negotiating in commissioning services that they have clear equality bargaining guidelines around supporting LGBT specific training for staff working with older LGBT people.

Conference further urges the National Committee to:

1. Work with the Regional groups and with the retired members group to raise awareness of older LGBT community group needs and to work with them on developing guidelines and best practice. This can be used to lobby Local Authorities to ensure that training requirements for staff delivering vital services to our older LGBT members is not lost;

2. Work with Regional Committees and Branch Self Organised Groups to identify outsourced services and consider a campaign to recruit those staff providing these essential services;

3. Encourage Regions and Branches to make strong representations to local authorities to ensure they closely monitor the services provided to LGBT people who receive care packages from private agencies as well as the level of training received by staff who work for these agencies.